Lottery bosses turned to Point out Security Agency to investigate leaks

Former Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Condition Security Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of paperwork that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s corporation secretary at the time stated media reviews she reported had been based on “stolen” data within an affidavit with the SSA.
The SSA did investigate. It discovered the knowledge was not a issue of condition safety and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” for your media to expose it.
A fresh board and management has because taken more than the NLC and thus far have taken steps to end corruption at the establishment.
A State Stability Agency (SSA) investigation uncovered the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “provided sufficient motive” for publicity with the media.

The probe into meant “details stability breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was undertaken immediately after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote towards the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.

Here's

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by now suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the security agency’s “private” conclusions and proposals.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to analyze the job of NLC staff in the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit discovered precise media and stories that she claimed concerned these leaks.

Within the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA instructed the NLC that although defending point out data was “a legal vital geared toward preserving the sovereignty and integrity in the point out” this only placed on appropriately labeled information.

Although it did not say so right, the SSA conclusions implied which the allegedly leaked information did not fall into this category.

Substantially, the SSA created it obvious that the necessity to protect point out data “doesn't stop any particular person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.

The SSA investigation discovered the NLC info involved with the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in mother nature, but not classified with regards to the prescripts of the Minimum amount Data Security Standards (Overlook)”.

“The leakage on the applicable delicate Formal NLC information towards the media doesn't pose a risk to national security,” the SSA said, adding which the impression in the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report discovered “no proof of the factual and incriminating nature from any from the suspected NLC workforce that would be identified from the information and info interrogated”.

It also stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities inside the NLC and at its beneficiaries does supply enough motive to obtain such uncovered during the media”.

Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda instructed MPs through a session of Parliament’s trade, industry and Competitors portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” wherein data “stolen” through the NLC was despatched on the US, in which he claimed it absolutely was becoming bought to fund a smear campaign versus the NLC.

He was repeating equivalent statements he experienced Earlier built in Parliament, which incorporated advertisement hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was thorough not to call both.

“I arrived below in this August home final yr and noted to honourable members that specifics of our beneficiaries has long been stolen and place in one point out in the united states,” he told MPs.

“We termed to the State Protection Company to come look into the make any difference mainly because we are finding studies that our information and facts is making revenue for media platforms and journalists,” he explained. “There was communicate, obviously from a single supply, just one media, that spoke much about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda mentioned (referring to GroundUp), but did not explain to MPs the SSA investigation had been accomplished Pretty much a 12 months earlier.

Proactive funding was at the guts of your looting of your lottery. It aspect-stepped the conventional grant process. The NLC could by itself recognize a venture to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to supervise it.

Right after Nevhutanda to start with instructed Parliament in 2018 that he experienced requested the SSA to analyze the supposed breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued a press release stating that his remarks mirrored “an incredibly harmful Mind-set where the media is getting blamed to the NLC’s inherent challenges”.

“Instead of investigating why hundreds of thousands can not be accounted for, the NLC has in its place attempted to cast doubt over the integrity of your journalists included and it has questioned the SSA to research their resources.”

Proactive assignments made mystery
Stability flaws identified while in the NLC grant funding process throughout the SSA’s investigation, seem to are actually utilized as an justification via the NLC to remove all proactive-funded assignments from its central grants process.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding projects was heightened to ‘magic formula’ and projects were being faraway from the grant funding program and preserved manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information and facts Office environment, Govt Supervisor Authorized as a way to safeguard [the] data,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.

“There was plenty of internal dialogue, with many back and forth, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was in a very senior situation with the NLC at enough time, told GroundUp. “In the end, the choice was taken to eliminate all the proactive jobs within the method and Restrict access to A few persons”.

Some in that handful of individuals were implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned from the NLC many many years back, has become implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He gained R4.three-million from lottery money allocated to make a library and museum complex in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Music and Arts Expo) which he used to build a residence in an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The home is among many paid for with lottery money which were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit attained a preservation purchase in December 2022.

The politically-linked Nevhutanda, who was appointed given that the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to superior-ups while in the ANC Management, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main running officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated during the corruption which confused the NLC on their own enjoy.

Also implicated are former board associates William Huma, who resigned immediately after he was confronted with evidence of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who has considering that died.

Whenever a new administration, such as the whole board and government, took more than for the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” while in the documentation relating to proactive funding, Considerably of which was paper-centered. Key documents had been missing. Files held for safekeeping by document storage business Metrofile were signed out and never returned.

The NLC was in a position to recover copies of some ตัว หวย files from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving system as well as the laptops of their assistants and help personnel.

News reviews
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave issue probable information and facts protection breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential information and facts received as a result of accomplishing official capabilities from the Commission by NLC staff members. The actions are meant to undermine the integrity of the Commission though disrupting the successful capabilities [in the NLC] and leading to insurmountable reputational damage to the Commission since the custodian of private information and facts entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His ask for for your SSA to investigate was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC business secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is at the moment experiencing a disciplinary inquiry just after she was unsuccessful in authorized action to put aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her enjoy.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene stated, was “to record the situations which transpired associated with data security breaches within the Nationwide Lotteries Commission”.

She listed several news reviews which she claimed were the effects of these “breaches” (see at the end of this informative article).

Nene reported that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that among its staff members, Sello Qhino, experienced “offered her labeled NLC Information and facts and persistently inspired her to deliver the data to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle with a number of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman after attempts to lift The difficulty internally were being disregarded, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an eighteen November 2018 short article during the Day by day Dispatch concerning the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene claimed that the NLC determined then suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an staff from the NLC’s East London Workplace, who was the lover and also the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 children.

Rungqu and Makatse feel Rungqu was punished for the reason that Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, With all the NLC shelling out R470,000 on attorneys to depict it, but was observed not responsible and allowed to return to work.

“The common Think about these article content is usually that [they require] categorized info relating to proactive funding jobs,” Nene explained in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the spouse and children household to go ahead and take heat off her and his young children. Experiencing homelessness, he moved into an Office environment in an empty manufacturing unit belonging to a colleague.

Both equally Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation procedure meant to recognise the damage a number of people suffered for the fingers of your NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, financial compensation are envisioned.

“Some persons had been seriously affected quite negatively by this … This is really unpleasant,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz instructed the Daily Maverick final 12 months.

“I fulfilled two or three these people. It was just so heart-wrenching that their whole life have been turned upside down,” said Scholtz.

Among the Those people she fulfilled have been Qhino and Makatse.

Risk-free platform desired for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show towards the media.

“Failure to possess a dedicated anti-corruption channel will end in staff presenting this kind of conditions outside of the NLC,” the SSA reported in its findings.

“Given the magnitude of corruption in condition establishments, it remains critical that it ensures that the NLC complies with all security prescripts Which its aim is on ensuring that illegal and irregular conduct is adequately mitigated from and by guaranteeing an suitable channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform without becoming intimidated.”

It suggested that the NLC build a “safe channel” for workers to offer info on any “untoward activity” that may not prevent or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, based on the Protected Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is often a prerequisite.”

Media reviews Nene outlined
A 10 December 2017 report from the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and Health and fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor in the Limpopo Mirror, to expose NLC corruption. “The posting had things of information not out there in the public domain, therefore increasing issue on internal Details protection breaches. The allegations during the media were independently investigated,” Nene explained. “Having said that, workers to blame for divulging categorised facts have still being determined”;
A 28 January 2018 write-up printed by the Dally Dispatch “citing various allegations with the Limpopo Mirror report printed on ten December 2017 in addition to a new allegation referring to a previous personnel because of the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed to the danger caused on the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 write-up during the Lowvelder in regards to the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has described how, Despite receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been finished. “The Lowvelder write-up contained categorised information regarding NLC coverage, elevating even more problems of inner information stability breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations didn't warrant an impartial Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened info stability pitfalls in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a few dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Primary Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene reported GroundUp had verified in its Tale that it was dependant on leaked NLC documents. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Usage of Info) ask for for details about the undertaking, she explained

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